Guide arrangement for pick laying-in members



March 17, 1970 s s 3,500,871

' GUIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR PICK LAYING-IN MEMBERS Filed April 26, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 17, 1970 E. H. STRAUSS GUIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR PICK LAYING-IN MEMBERS Filed April 26, 1968 4 SheeCs-Sheet 2 &

(FF/bk. NV

bttwa Nq T m om m GUIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR PICK LAYING-IN MEMBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 26, 1968 I March 17, 1970 E. H. STRAUSS 3,500,871

GUIDE ARRANGEMENT FOR PICK LAYING-IN MEMBERS Filed April 26, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 7 Int. Cl. D03d 47/26, 47/46 US. Cl. 139-12 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A guide arrangement for the weft yarn laying-in members on a wave-type loom wherein the members receive weft yarns of predetermined lengths and lay them into the sheds formed during the weaving operation, said members being continuously driven by drive means extending width-wise of the loom and being guided by the warp yarns, characterized in that on that side of the loom at which the laying-in members emerge or exit out of the warp yarn between the warp yarns and a run-out device for returning the laying-in members to the entry side of the loom, the members are guided by guide means, the individual guide elements of the guide means having intermediate spaces therebetween for the drive means which also extend width-wise across the guide elements.

The present invention relates to a guide arrangement for the laying-in members or shuttles which introduce the Weft yarn into the sheds (lay-in the pick) on a multi phase weaving machine or a wave-type loom, wherein the members receive weft yarns of predetermined lengths and introduce them into the sheds formed during the weaving operation, the members being continuously driven by drive means extending 'widthwise of the loom, and guided by the warp yarns.

It often happens that it is necessary to manufacture cloths of various widths on one and the same loom. In conventional weaving processes employing a shuttle and a pim (Weft bobbin) mounted therein this is possible if only insignificant changes are made on the loom. Together with drawing-in of the warp yarns to correspond to the desired cloth width, it is also necessary to appropriately re-adjust the temple with the temple shears normally secured thereto.

The conditions are different in the case of looms of the heretofore mentioned type. In these wave-type looms, the members for laying-in the pick (-weft yarn) are, after their passage through the shed and after running into a guiding-back device or means, once again guided back to the entry side of the loom. The device carrying out this function is disposed at the end of the drive means which displaces the laying-in members over the width of the warp yarns. If it were then desired to produce a narrower cloth, then it would be difficult to displace the device for grasping and guiding back the laying-in members towards the center of the loom. Above all, due to the presence of the drive means there would be no space for the shifting of the guiding-back device for the laying-in members, if it were displaced towards the center of the loom.

The predetermined lengths of weft yarn transferred to the laying-in members are, on the other hand, never of entirely identical length. It may, therefore, happen that, in the case of a relatively long length of weft yarn, the yam has not yet completely run out of the laying-in member when the member emerges or exists out of the warp ber when the member emerges or exits out of the warp yarns. In a case of this kind, disturbances may take place during the further-conveying or movement of the layingin members. Furthermore, weaving flaws or faults and other disadvantages may result from the presence of the yarn residues remaining in the laying-in member.

The disadvantages discussed hereinabove are to be obviated by means of the present invention.

Thus, this invention contemplates a guide arrangement as heretofore described further characterized in that, on that side of the loom on which the laying-in members emerge out of the warp yarns, between the warp yarns and a guiding-back means including a run-out device for returning the emerging laying-in members to the entry side of the loom, the members are guided by guide means comprising a plurality of guide elements and in that, between the individual guide elements, intermediate spaces are available for the drive means also extending, widthwise, over the guide elements. o

The invention will now be described in detail, with reference to its specific embodiments and to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of the guide arrangement according to the invention, in its position on a wave-type loom;

FIGURE 2 shows the arrangement according to the invention, in an elevation in greater detail;

FIGURE 3 shows an elevation, as seen from the left, along the dot-dash line IIIIII on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 shows an elevation, as seen from the left, along the dot-dash line IVIV on FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 shows an alternate embodiment of one of the guide elements.

In all the figures, like reference numerals designate like elements.

The multi-phase weaving machine or wave-type loom shown in perspective in FIGURE 1 has a warp beam 11. From the beam, the warp yarns 12 travel over the deflecting rolls 13, 14 and a warp monitoring means (i.e., a warp stop motion) 15 about a shed compensating roll 16. By means of a shaft arrangement (not shown) having substantially horizontal shafts, the warp yarns 12 are, directly after passing the shed compensating roll 16, subjected to shed formation, an open shed being present at the position of each laying-in member or shuttle 18 and a shed change taking place between every two adjacent shuttles 18. This formation is shown by appropriate hatching in FIGURE 1. One of the sheds formed by the shafts (not shown) is designated by the reference numeral 17. For the purpose of weaving, there is a multiplicity of pick laying-in members (in the form of shuttles) 18 travelling simultaneously and one after the other through the changing sheds 17. The laying-in members 18 are displaced forwardly by the lamellae 19 operating as drive members (see also the FIGURES 2 to 5 The lamellae serve also for the beatingup of the laid-in weft yarns against the fabric beat-up 60. Guiding of the laying-in members 18 in the sheds 17 is elfected by means of the warp yarns 12.

The lamellae 19 are fitted in the support arrangement 28 secured to the loom frame 29. For producing the movement of the lamellae 19, two worm shafts 21 and 22 are provided. On rotation of the 'worm shafts 21, 22 the lamellae 19 are pivoted about a pivot in such manner that each lamella 19 lags by a small amount behind the one arranged before it. (This pivot is designated by the reference numeral 20 in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5.) Thus, in operation there is set up in the entirety of the lamellae 19 a wave movement which is propagated from the right towards the left in FIGURE 1 and by means of which the shuttles 18 are entrained or carried through the sheds. The woven cloth 23 is taken up over the take-up roller 24 and the pressing-on roller 25, on the cloth beam 26. Reference numeral 27 designates the temple (shown diagrammatically).

Disposed on the emergence side of the shuttles 18, i.e. on the left-hand side or exit side of the warp yarns (in FIGURE 1) is a first guide means including a guide unit or block (see also FIGURE 2). Secured to the block are the temple 27, a cutter (shears) 32 and a suction stub 34 connected with a suction duct 33, these therefore providing means for influencing the selvedge. Furthermore, guide elements 42 are fast in the block 30. FIGURE 4 shows a lateral elevation of one of the guide elements 42. The aperture facilities securing the block 30 by a screw to a fixed part of the loom. The screws 52 thus hold the block 30 together as a unit.

Adjacent the block 30, another guide means including a guide unit or block 36 is secured to the loom. Block 36 is secured firmly to the loom by means of screws guided through the apertures 37. Block 36 consists of guide elements 38 retained with pre-determined, mutual spacing by spacer members 39. By means of the screws 40, the guide elements 38 and the spacer members 39 are joined together to a rigid unit. FIGURE 3 shows a lateral elevation of the guide elements 38. Adjacent the block 36, is a guide-back means including a discharge or run-out device 41. Shuttles 18 travelling in the device 41 are lifted upwardly by means which are not shown and are guided back onto the other side of the loom, from where they participate in a new pick laying-in operation.

In FIGURE 2, the warp yarns 12 and the reed lamellae 19 have, for the sake of clarity, been shown with greater spacing than that which they actually have.

FIGURES 3 and 4 are elevations as seen in the direction of the arrows at lines IIIIII and IVIV, and show from the side the guide elements 38 and 42. In each of these figures, two reed lamellae 19 are shown in various pivoting positions. It will be seen from FIGURES 3 and 4 that each of the guide elements 38 and 42 is formed with a recess 43 through and by which the shuttles 18 are guided. In the embodiment illustrated, the shape of the delimiting contours of the recess 43 is similar to the cross-section of the shuttles 18 at the point of their maximum cross-section. In order that the shuttles 18 may be moved through the recesses 43, without jamming, therecesses 43 are slightly larger than the largest shuttle cross-section.

The lamallae 19 are pivoted continuously about the pivot 20 by the worm shafts 21 and 22 shown in FIGURE 1. The worm shafts 21 and 22 are disposed to the left of the pivot 20 and are not shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The worm shafts press on those parts of the lamellae 19 which extend towards the left from the pivot 20, so that the lamellae or drive members 19 constitute two-armed levers which are pivotal about the pivot 20. The two lamellae 19 shown in FIGURE 3 indicate the two end positions adopted by the lamellae 19 during their pivoting movements. The yarn cutter is again designated by reference numeral 32.

In operation of the loom, the lamellae 19 are pivoted about their pivot 20, so that the free ends thereof adjacent the shuttles 18 move upwardly and downwardly, the ends producing, in their entirety, a wave movement propagated from the right towards the left. During their upward movement towards the fabric beat-up 60, they impinge against the obliquely disposed sides 50 of the shuttles 18 (see FIGURE 2), thereby pushing the shuttles towards the left. The shuttles 18 are, as they travel along their path through the sheds, retained in the position which they have adopted by the warp yarns 12. To each shuttle 18 there has been transferred, on the entry side of the loom, i.e. on the right-hand side thereof, a yarn 51 the length of which has previously been measuredotf to correspond to the weaving width and which is drawn uniformly out of the shuttle 18 during the travel of the shuttle through a shed 17.

When a shuttle 18 emerges out of a shed formed in FIGURE 2 by the warp yarns 12, the further guiding thereof to the run-out device 41 is first of all assumed by the guide elements 42 and subsequently by the guide elements 38. The guide elements 38 and 42 are so spaced relatively to each other that they retain and reliably guide the shuttles 18 in the position which they have adopted during travel. This is normally achieved if, over a shuttle length, between two and six guide elements of the type shown in FIGURE 2 are available. The drive of the shuttles is effected, as in the case of the travel through the warp yarns 12, due to the movement of the reed lamellae 19, i.e. due to the lamellae 19 located between the guide elements 38 and 42.

In explanation of the provision of the blocks 30 and 36, it will first of all be assumed that the guide elements 42 and 38 are not present. In that case, it would be necessary for the travel-out device 41 to be disposed directly at the left-hand side or exit side of the warp yarns 12. As already stated, the shuttles 18 are guided by the device 41, upwardly and on to the entry side of the shed, i.e. back on to the right-hand side of the loom. Now, on the one hand, the shears 32 and the temple 27 require a certain amount of space for the securing thereof. It is therefore not a simple matter, under these circumstances, to obtain a reliable run-in of the shuttles 18 out of the warp yarns 12 directly into the device 41. In order to achieve disturbance-free travel of the shuttles 18 from the shed 17 into the device 41, the guide elements 42 according to the invention are provided.

Before the shuttles 18 travel into the device 41, the yarn supply which was introduced into the shuttles 18 on the entry side and the length of which had been previously measured-off to correspond to the cloth width, has been used up. In the position adopted by the central shuttle 18 in FIGURE 2, the end of the yarn 51 is just about to leave the shuttle 18 and to be sucked into the aperture 33. The yarns transferred to the shuttles are, in practice, never of entirely uniform length. It is, however, necessary that there should be no more yarn (of any kind) in the shuttles 18 when they are travelled into the boxes 41. In order to achieve this, due to the provision of the guide elements 42 and according to this invention, a run-out path of p-re-determined length is formed. Consequently, the result is achieved (as a further advantage of the present invention) that complete drawing-out of the yarn 51 out of the shuttles 18 has taken place before the shuttles have moved entirely into the run-out device 41.

After the end of the yarn 51 has left the shuttle 18 it is sucked into the suction duct 33 and is then severed by the shears or cutter 32. For this severing step, the end of the yarn is, due to the suctional effect in the recess 43, retained in the guide elements 42, disposed to the right of the suction tube 33, in a precisely defined, horizontal position. The advantage of this arrangement consists in that it enables precise cutting of the yarn end with consequent formation of an extremely clean selvedge.

With reference to FIGURE 2, the desired width of the cloth 23 to be produced is narrower than the width which can be produced with the machine illustrated. In order, in these conditions, to guide the shuttles 18- as far as the running-out device 41, according to the present invention guide elements 38 are additionally provided. These elements as hereto described are combined to form a single block 36 with the spacer members 39 and screws 42. Thus, it is the purpose of the guide elements 38 to obtain, in the case of a fabric 23 having the width shown in FIGURE 2, a guideway for the shuttles 18 which guides them as far as the device 41.

If a wider cloth is to be manufactured, then the block 36, which is secured to the loom by screws guided through the apertures 37, is removed and the block 30 is so shifted that the aperture 35 therein is in alignment with the aperture 37 shown furthest to the left in FIGURE 2. In this manner, it is then possible to produce a wider cloth the left-hand end of which extends to a point directly adjacent the cutter 32 of the block 30 shifted towards the left. 1 t

In the case of a fabric which is still narrower than that shown in FIGURE 2, the number of guide elements 38 may be increased by providing a block which is wider than the block 36 or by a side-by-side arrangement of a multiplicity of such blocks 36. In this way, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to provide guide elements extendlng through various distances and thus cloths of various widths may be woven, in a simple manner, on one and the same machine.

As already stated, it is in practice extremely difficult to shift the run-out device 41 towards the right from the position shown in FIGURE 2. On the one hand, the lamellae 19 are in the way and on the other hand, attachment of the arrangement for guiding the shuttle-s 18 back to their entry side at various points along the width of the loom is not a simple matter.

On a fixed machine part '52 (shown in FIGURE 1) extending directly behind the plane defined by the fabric 23, there are provided screw threads into which the screws guided through the apertures 35, 37 may be screwed, to secure the blocks 30 and 36. It is advisable to arrange the screw threads in uniformly spaced relationship, so that, with the screw threads provided, it is possible to provide any desired combination of blocks 36 and of a block 30, the spacing between adjacent guide element-s 38, 42 always being uniform.

The delimitation or shape of the recess 43 shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is similar to the cross-section of the shuttles 18. As will be clear from the previous description, the shuttles 18 are, during their travel through the sheds, permanently subjected to a force exerted, from below upwardly, by the drive members or lamellae 19. For this reason, with the mode of driving the shuttles 18 described, it is also possible to give the recesses in the guide elements the type of delimitation or shape 44 shown in FIGURE 5, wherein the recesses are downwardly open. However, the guide elements 45 are so dimensioned, i.e. they extend downwardly to such a length that the drive members 19 remain, during their movement, continuously between the guide elements 45. If the lamellae 19 were to emerge downwardly out of the guide elements 45, there would be a danger that, in the event of even slight bending of the lamellae 19 or of the elements 45, the elements might impinge against each other at their lateral edges. In FIGURE 5, reference numeral 19 designates two lamellae and 46 designates the screws for the holdingtogether of a plurality of guide elements 45 and corresponding spacer members, to form a block.

What is claimed is:

1. A guide arrangement for guiding weft yarn layingin members on a loom, wherein the warp yarns form a plurality of continuously changing sheds and a plurality of Weft yarn laying-in members are being moved simultaneously across the width of the loom, said laying-in members receiving weft yarns of predetermined lengths and laying them successively into separate sheds during travel across said loom, said laying-in members being continuously guided during picking by said warp yarns and continuously driven from one side of the loom through said sheds to the other side of the loom by drive means extending width-wise of the loom, and said laying-in members exiting from said warp threads on said other side of the loom and being returned to said one side of the loom by a run-out device, said arrangement comprising guide means positioned in the path of said laying-in members between the exit side of the warp threads and said run-out device for guiding said layingin members to said run-out device, said guide means comprising a plurality of individual guide elements having intermediate spaces therebetween allowing for operation of the drive means which also extends width-wise over said guide elements.

2. The guide arrangement of claim 1 in which said guide elements are formed with recesses through which the laying-in members are displaced by the drive means, the shape of said recesses being adapted to the crosssection of the laying-in members to serve for guiding of said members.

3. The guide arrangement of claim 2 in which the shape of each recess is similar to the cross-section of the laying-in member at the point of its maximum crosssection and is slightly larger than said maximum crosssection. 1-

4. The guide arrangement of claim 2 in which the drive of the laying-in members is effected by displaced drive members of said drive means moving in a direction towards the fabric beatup and towards positions of the laying-in members which extend obliquely relatively to said direction, and the guide elements are so dimensioned that the drive members remain, during their movement between said guide elements.

5. The guide arrangement of claim 1 in which the guide elements are formed by laminar elements arranged perpendicularly to the path of movement of the laying in members.

6. The guide arrangement of claim 5 in which said laminar guide elements are arranged with such mutual spacing that between two and six guide elements are available over the length of a laying-in member.

7. The guide arrangement of claim 5 in which adjacent guide elements are retained with pre-determined spacing from each other by spacer members arranged between them and are connected together to constitute at least one dismantleable guide unit.

8. The guide arrangement of claim 1 in which directly adjacent the exit side of the warp yarns there is pro vided at least one guide element assembled within a dismantleable guide unit having means for influencing the selvedge. Y

9. The guide arrangement of claim 8 in which the means for influencing the selvedge comprises a yarn cutter for severing the free ends of the weft yarns, said yarn cutter being disposed directly adjacent the selvedge, and in which there is provided, adjacent said cutter, a guide element disposed between a suction aperture and said cutter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,714,403 8/1955 Turner 139-188 3,255,782 6/1966 Fend 139-42 3,263,705 8/1966 Rossmann 139-12 HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 139-302 

